Law Practice Management

The Tennessee Bar Association has a variety of resources and practical information on law office management issues available to help members better serve clients and practice more efficiently and effectively.

Below you will find the Practice Management Advisor Pipes Feed, brought to you by the Law Office Technology & Management Section of the Tennessee Bar Association. "PMA Pipes" is an RSS newsfeed that was designed by the ABA's Legal Technology Resource Center. It combines posts from the blogs of Practice Management Advisors from across the United States, as well as the ABA's Site-tation blog, into one convenient location. The blogs brought to you by this feed include: Law Practice Matters, Reid My Blog, Law Practice Tips, Law Practice Advisor, The Last Word, Thoughtful Legal Management, and Compujurist, among others.

Practice Management Advisor Pipes Feed

[PA Law Practice Management] Most Popular Tweet of 2012

The year isn’t over yet, but it’s unlikely anything will top this one.
This photo, posted on Barack Obama’s Twitter account the moment the election result was called, was the most retweeted post of the year, having been reposted more than 800,000 times. It earned Twitter’s “Golden Tweet” for 2012.
You can read more about the top Tweets and Hashtags of 2012 here.
If you still doubt the power of social media, and it’s pivotal role in changing the...

In early January, LPM will publish The 2013 Solo and Small Firm Legal Technology Guide. This annual guide is the only one of its kind written to help solo and small firm lawyers find the best technology for their dollar. You’ll find the most current information and recommendations on computers, servers, networking equipment, legal software, printers, security products, smartphones, the iPad, and anything else a law office might need. It’s written in clear, easily understandable...

Used carefully, the cloud offers a variety of potential benefits: cost savings, constantly up-to-date software, access-anywhere flexibility, and even improved security. Yet according to the 2012 Legal Technology Survey Report, just 21% of responding lawyers actually reported using “the cloud.” The number one reason cited by those who don’t use it? A lack of familiarity with the technology.
Take a few minutes to learn more about the cloud and the opportunities it may offer your practice. Join...

I would love your perspective on what you think are going to be the top issues law firms and individual lawyers will be wrestling with in 2013. I’m researching for an article which will appear in The Pennsylvania Lawyer. I would do it from my own perspective alone, but then again, I predicted the Beatles would never catch on, and since then I have been reluctant to trust my instincts alone to predict the future.
Of course there will be obvious issues: profitability, marketing, increased...

Are you a lawyer? Do you accept credit cards from clients for payment? Have you heard about Section 6050W? In a nutshell, it’s a new IRS rule requiring credit card processors to report gross credit card transactions on a special 1099-K form to the IRS. Section 6050W goes into effect beginning January 1, 2013.
What does this mean for you? There are a few things you should do before January 1:
Contact your credit card processor and confirm that a merchant industry code identifies you as a law...

A lawyer in Ontario and one in Quebec have notified us that they have received an email from the purported Gregory Stich with regards to a debt litigation scam. For examples of other names attached to this kind of fraud see our Confirmed Fraud Page. For an explanation of how this fraud works see our Fraud Fact Sheet.
Here is the initial email:
From: Gregory Stich
Date: Thu, Oct 25, 2012 at 7:02 AM
Subject: Hello Counsel,
To:
Hello Counsel,
I am inquiring about the possibility of your firm...

The following announcement was published today on the PLF Web site: Important Information Regarding Withholding Penalties Affecting Lawyers Who Accept Credit Card Payments New IRS requirements regarding the reporting of credit card transactions have the potential to negatively impact IOLTA accounts and lead to ethical violations by lawyers. Here are the key points you need [...]

Do you take credit cards? If so lease read about the changes to IRS verification requirements effective January 2013!
From Lawyer’s Trust Fund of Illinois:
Significant penalties in 2013 if credit account information doesn’t match
If you accept credit card payments, you may be impacted by IRS verification requirements that may impact you and your practice in 2013.
Under federal law, credit card processing companies are required to verify information regarding each merchant accepting...

Let’s forget, for a moment, the magical marketing benefits of social media and talk about law and order. Prosecutors and defense attorneys are right now, as you’re reading this post, initiating, hosting, or contributing to social Web conversations with ordinary citizens (all potential jurors, I’d add). These officers of the court are, today, boldly intimidating criminals, rallying citizens, and managing trial publicity via social media.
Critics fear that the attorneys who spawn such...

Succession Planning

TBA Resource Center

Visit the Tennessee Bar Center at 221 Fourth Ave. North, Suite 400 in Nashville, and check out any of the many publications about law office management that are available. Obtain forms, checklists and information about how to set up your practice. Free to TBA members.